CeBIT '99, Hannover, Germany, March 16, 1999 . . . Today, IBM is announcing new PC interoperability products and Internet security capabilities for its UNIX**-based operating system, AIX Version 4.3.2. The new features are geared towards mixed UNIX, Windows*, and OS/2 environments, particularly e-business customers, and Internet Service Providers.

IBM is introducing AIX Fast Connect for Windows, which allows businesses to integrate their Windows and AIX file and print servers for a potential increase in performance and efficient interoperability. Most businesses face interoperability issues between UNIX and Windows, especially in the area of file and print servers. With Fast Connect, AIX becomes part of a Microsoft Network neighborhood, providing Windows' clients access to AIX's file and print services without needing to install additional client software.

By consolidating file and printer service for multiple PC servers onto a single system, businesses can reduce their hardware, software, and most importantly, infrastructure costs.

Customers receive outstanding performance and the reliability, availability and scalability of AIX, for a one-time charge, regardless of the number of clients. Fast Connect will provide base file and print server capabilities to Windows 95, 98, and NT systems. The current list price for AIX Fast Connect for Windows is $1,495 and for AIX Fast Connect for OS/2 is $1,795.***

AIX 4.3 supports both 32-bit and 64-bit RS/6000 systems in their full range of scalability. The new technology and added AIX functionality is also expected to be available in future Project Monterey offerings, including many of the below security enhancements by IBM, for Intel IA-64 architecture, in addition to the POWER family of processors.

Security & the Internet
AIX users, especially e-business and Internet Service Providers, can now take advantage of the Groupe Bull B1/EST-X Version 2.0.2 for AIX 4.3.2, available from IBM****. Security features include Mandatory Access Control (MAC), privileges managed via administrative commands, multilevel directories to control access to designated levels, password management to select encryption procedures, and additional audit events for more control over unauthorized access.

In addition, Check Point Firewall-1/VPN-1 Version 4.0 is now available from IBM for AIX Version 4.2.1 and 4.3.2. Firewall-1/VPN-1 is a network security solution that provides integrated Internet and intranet access control as well as authentication and encryption services for secure remote access and virtual private networks. Checkpoint reports up to 30 percent increase in performance on SMP security servers over Version 3.0, and upgrades to Version 4.0 are available at no additional charge for existing Version 3 customers with current maintenance agreements.

Finally, AIX has implemented Internet Key Exchange (IKE), an industry standard protocol for authentication and encryption developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force. This capability enables customers to set up Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) using the Internet. IKE builds upon the IPv4 base and allows businesses to set up secure tunnels on the Internet or within a business' intranet. It also has unlimited base-filtering rules and can act as a second level of defense behind a firewall or as a low cost, limited function firewall.

To enhance Internet communications, IBM is supporting Version 6.0 of Merit GateD within AIX. Merit GateD dynamically routes messages in a complex network, allowing them to be delivered through a more direct route for increased performance.

*IBM, RS/6000, and AIX are a trademark or registered of International Business Machines Corporation. Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trade, product, or service names referenced in this release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

** UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

***All prices shown are IBM's suggested list prices and are subject to change; dealer prices may vary.

****The B1/EST-X 2.0.2 version is based on the prior 2.0.1 version of the B1/EST-X product, which was updated to run in the AIX 4.3.2 environment. Only the B1/EST-X Version 2.0.1 running on AIX 4.3.1 was Common Criteria 2.0 evaluated at B1/EAL-4. That evaluation was audited by an independent auditing organization Industrieanlagen-Betriesgesellschaft (IABG) and certified by the German government authority Bundesamt fur Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI)